National Bus Company disappoint passengers

Three days after the launch of the new Super Double Decker coaches by National Bus Company (NBC), passengers are yet to test the new rides on the roads of Malawi despite the hype created prior and after the colourful launch on May 5 2012.

Passengers who booked advance tickets for Sunday, May 6, felt cheated when NBC provided an ordinary Torino bus and had to be refunded part of the 6,000 kwacha they had paid for the new coach.

NBC had promised its customers that the new coaches would hit the road between Blantyre and Lilongwe on Sunday May 6, day after the launch.

Investigations by Nyasa Times reveal that the buses are parked at the company’s Makata office in Blantyre.

National Bus

An impeccable source who works for the company said the buses are not on the roads because the company is still waiting for consultancy services of experts from South Africa who have been hired to train drivers at the company on how to operate the state of art buses.

However, the source did not indicate as to when the experts will arrive in the country and when the buses will be on the road.

Official at the booking office said they had just been told to inform customers that the new buses have been put on hold till further communication from management.

Some of the passengers that travelled on the 6 May using the bus service expressed their disappointment on the way NBC treated them.

One of the passengers, a Natural Resources College student, said this was her second time using NBC but had the same experience during her first .

“I think this company takes us for granted and they do not even care about their customer service,” said the visibly angry student adding that it in the two instances, officials did not even apologize.

“This bus is just like any ordinary bus, why should we pay K3, 500 for this? The same buses are K1, 700 at Wenela, we pay higher prices for good service not what we are being offered, here,” said a Mr Phiri.

Due to the condition of the bus that operated as an executive coach on the said date, the journey that takes four hours took over five hours to reach the capital Lilongwe.